A quarter (26%) of global employees surveyed in the 2021 Culture Report on belonging at work, from Achievers Workforce Institute reported a strong sense of belonging in the workplace, but this number increases to nearly one-third for men (31%) and just one in five (22%) for women. The survey polled more than 3,500 employed respondents globally and found a strong sense of belonging correlated with higher engagement, job commitment, productivity, and more.

From work-life balance to pay equity, when it comes to feeling known and being included, women consistently reported lower results than male respondents with respect to these belonging factors. Women were 25% less likely to say they felt comfortable sharing a dissenting opinion and were 20% less likely to say their unique background and identity were valued at their company.

Respondents whose companies are diverse at senior levels are 2.4 times more likely to feel a strong sense of belonging. DEI efforts must be aimed at women and other marginalized groups to be effective. While it may seem that gender equality has been a focus of DEI programs for at least two decades, women were 23% less likely than men to say their needs were being met by their company’s DEI efforts.

Belonging correlates positively with many individual traits that are necessary for organizational success, including engagement, commitment, productivity, resilience, and satisfaction.

• Two in five (40%) respondents with a strong sense of belonging rarely think about looking for a job elsewhere, versus just 5% of respondents with a low sense of belonging
• Nearly half (45%) of respondents with a strong sense of belonging say they are their most productive self at work, versus just 6% with a low sense of belonging
• More than half (51%) of respondents with a strong sense of belonging would recommend their company as a great place to work, versus 4% with a low sense of belonging

Those who reported being recognized in the last week when surveyed are almost twice as likely (49% vs 26%) to have a strong sense of belonging compared to average, while just 11% of those never recognized feel a strong sense of belonging. Furthermore, more than two in five (41%) respondents with a strong sense of belonging reported their manager regularly recognizes them in a way that makes them feel valued, versus just 5% of respondents with a low sense of belonging.